General News

New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the wind industry is stronger than ever. The amount of installed wind energy overtook hydroelectric for the first time at the end of 2016, to lead U.S. renewable energy capacity.

A battle over the impact of a big hog farm on rural home values in Bartholomew County will go before the Indiana Board of Tax Review – but it will not lead to the broader regulatory changes some residents had hoped for.

On Tuesday, county officials denied individual property tax appeals from a group of neighbors who live near a concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, in the town of Hope.

On Wednesday, Melissa Gruver’s roommates found a letter informing them she was going on strike for the day—not only from work—but from responsibilities at home, too.

“We strike because we recognize none of the civil liberties we enjoy today would have been possible without immeasurable hours women have spent on streets, in kitchens and factories—in the past fighting for our rights,” the letter read.

The West Lafayette City Council is considering a resolution that would declare West Lafayette a safe haven for immigrants.

The resolution seeks to discourage city employees from assisting authorities in investigating a person’s immigration status, unless required by a court order.

The resolution stops short of designating Lafayette a so-called “sanctuary city,” a term that has become popular when referring to cities that refuse to assist federal entities with deportation of undocumented people.

Indiana Rep. Melanie Wright (D-Yorktown) sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Thursday, asking for DeVos to hire more educators on her staff.

Wright’s letter asks DeVos to hire a deputy secretary with extensive experience in public schools. She says this request follows up on concerns expressed during Betsy Devos’ confirmation hearing: Devos has no experience in public education, which she now oversees.

In East Chicago, Indiana, federal officials have approved a plan to allow involuntary relocation of families who remain in lead-contaminated public housing beginning on April 1.

These would be considered “emergency transfers” to units that have been inspected for lead in East Chicago and, in Illinois, Cook County and Chicago. Families would stay in these units while they kept looking for permanent housing, still using the same rent vouchers and other HUD-provided counseling and resources.